


Hissed At

by UnicornPopcorn14



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Love, Crying, Depression, Donnie goes nuts!, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Injury, Leo thinks that he's useless, Mikey is smarter than the show portrays him to be, NO TCEST!!, This is just my opinion, hopefully a happy ending, inspired by a tweet, mentions of blood- no gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23518423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornPopcorn14/pseuds/UnicornPopcorn14
Summary: It was supposed to be simple. Just persuade Donnie to go and get some sleep, nothing too hard. But, the laws of whoever had to make themselves known, and turn that night into something unforgettable. Maybe it will come with some benefits, too, but the situation is too messy for any of the brothers to care.Let Leo tell you about it.Inspired by an art from @yukoTapioca on Twitter!
Relationships: Leonardo & Donatello & Michelangelo
Comments: 64
Kudos: 103





	1. Who's Cooking at This Hour?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic takes place before season one's finale, and is focusing on the episode 'Turtle-Dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man' in particular. Top and Bottom dialogues, though, can reference any episode.  
> Episodes' orders are based on the TurtlePedia arrangement, meaning that 'Flushed, But Never Forgotten' and 'Lair Games' are not included in the main events of the story.

**_Raph: I CAN THINK OF NOTHING!_ **

**_Mikey: BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!!_ **

**_Splinter: My boys, what is happening?!_ **

**_Leo: GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!_ **

**_Donnie: hIsSsSsSsSsSsSsS_ **

**_“AAAAAAAAAA!”_ **

_…_

_Leo: Okay! Pause right there!  
So, from what you’ve read right now, things aren’t going too well for me…_

_Mikey: For everyone…_

_Leo: *Pushes Mikey away* I’m the star, here, please, shoo!_

_Raph: Yeah, yeah, of course. Let’s just ignore the fact that this was all your fault!_

_Leo: HEY! *pushes him off* Do you mind? I’m working here! *clears throat* Okay, things sure do not seem cool, but let’s roll from where everything started, shall we? NARRATOR! *claps twice*_

_Narrator: Oh, yeah, erm, okay… *pushes glasses*_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Who’s cooking at this hour?**

Donnie sighed under his breath, grunting as he held his aching head. What time was it? He couldn’t care less. He just wanted for this thing to work! Why wasn’t it? What was missing?

He sighed somewhat harshly and looked up at the clock after what had felt like a life-time.

“Three in the morning?!” He questioned no one in particular, kind of surprised that he hadn’t dropped out cold yet.

The soft-shelled sighed again, but something ticked him that his grimace returned. Trying to shake the sleep off his mind, he spoke to himself, “No, this HAS to work…”

And he started working again…

**_Leo’s Room…_ **

The eared slider woke up from a burning smell.

“Ugh…” He groaned heavily, eying his wall-clock, “Who’s cooking at this hour?” Leo rubbed his hasty eyes drowsily.

Although he really wanted to go back to his dreaming stage, he couldn’t help but feel that something wasn’t right. He let out an exhausted sigh and threw the blanked off of him, started strolling through the hallways and arrived at the kitchen. His favorite mug was soon filled with hot tea that emitted a soothing aroma. After two sips, Leo finally decided to investigate the odour.

Not two seconds later and he found himself in front of the source.

“Donnie’s lab, of course…” He tiredly stepped inside, but rapidly straightened himself and leaned on the door frame, not allowing himself to look exhausted in front of his older twin.

And the said twin himself wasn’t any better. Several chemical substances and mechanical machines laid before him, and judging by his hunched shell and full gear on, Leo could easily assume that Donnie hadn’t blinked all night.

The burning smell was filling the laboratory, and the blue loving terrapin wondered how his brother could stand it. Frequent glowing lights and sparks were let out in front of Donnie; and maybe that was the cause of the unpleasant scent.

“Looks like you’ve slept like a log, am I right?” Leo joked, waiting for a mad or at least an annoyed Donnie to turn his spinning chair and look at him.

But it never came.

Instead, the purple banded paused working for a second and uttered, “go away.” Before turning back to action.

 _Well, this is more serious than I thought…_ Leo thought.

But would he take it seriously?

Shell naw!

“Hey, bro, I’m not sure how y’r doing it, but I can’t even last half an hour in this torture chamber without getting bored to death. So why not go back to sleep and save yourself?” Leo kidded again, this time getting inside to annoy his brother in case he wouldn’t lay his eyes off whatever he was working on.

Much to his surprise, though, Donnie _did_ turn around and took his goggles off. And even when Leo tried to convince himself to not make a reaction, his mind had different opinions. His older brother was in a messy condition. His eyes were bloodshot and had several bags underneath them; and Leo was quick to notice a darker green shade on one of his arms.

Definitely a burn.

“W-Woah…” Leo couldn’t help himself but murmur in amuse, “You surely, don’t seem alright, bud…” His tea was long forgotten as he rested it on… he couldn’t remember what… without taking his eyes off his sibling.

“Positive…” Donatello hissed angrily, provoked by the presence of his younger twin, “Now that you ‘assured yourself’, leave me alone.” He was about to give Leonardo his back again, until a hand caught the chair, preventing him from doing so.

Donnie merely raised an eyebrow, not so taken aback by the action.

After getting the spinning chair to face him, Leo crossed his arms with a brow raised, “Do you seriously believe that I’m gonna leave you like that, working yourself to sleep?”

“I’m not sleeping tonight, and I suggest that you do the exact opposite and tuck yourself in right now…”

“What are you inventing, anyway?”

“It’s nothing related to you…”

“Oh, really?” The blue clad paused to tilt his head a little, catching a glimpse of what was on Donnie’s desk, which were a thing with several wires sticking out of it, a purple liquid inside a beaker and a familiar green slimy thing, “Then what’s this thing that oddly looks like what mutated us?!”

His brother’s eyes widened as he swiftly flipped his chair and hugged his stuff, “Would you mind-”

“No!” Leo said playfully, extending his arm to touch anything, “Show me what you’re doing!”

“Leo, this is dangerous!”

The red-eared didn’t pay the least attention to warning, still attempting to drive his brother over the edge.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded, and the twins flipped their heads to behold their youngest brother on the door.

“Donnie, Leo?” Mikey asked as he saw the awkward position his brothers were in, “What’s going on?!”

“Nothing, Miguel!” Leo hummed cheerfully.

“Michael, GET HIM OFF ME!” Donnie yelled, trying to push Leo away.

“Leo, what are you doing!?” Mikey ran to assist Donnie, grabbing Leo’s arm and trying to tug him.

“Mikey, Donnie’s hiding something! Something big! Don’t you wanna find it out?!” He asked, not really affected by the youngest’s tries to pull.

“Donnie says that it’s dangerous, so we shouldn’t play around like that!”

“Now that’s my good baby bro!” Donnie smirked slightly up to Leo, who rolled his eyes in some jealousy.

And then he started to poke the purple’s bandana beneath him, still trying to reach for the desk, “Tell. Me. What. This. Is!!”

“UGH FINE! It’s-a-highly-concentrated-chemical-structure-that-can-reverse-the-effect-of-metamorphosis!” Donnie spoke too fast despite everyone’s sake.

“WHAT!” Mikey bellowed as he got it, letting go of Leo.

Which was a big mistake…

Leo lost his balance, the wired machine just beneath him, and his hand happened to land on the only button that existed in it.

Donnie’s eyes went wide, “And that’s an unstable bomb! GET OUT OF HERE!” he shrieked as soon as he witnessed the swift beeping emitting from the explosive on the desk.

Leo was dumbfounded as Mikey tugged his arm and ran with him him out of the lab.

“MY WORK!”

Mikey turned his head to see Donnie trying to bring his chemicals,

“DONNIE, QUICK!” Mikey shrieked right before stepping out, “DONNIE, LEAVE TH-”

Too late.

**_BOOOM!_ **

“AAAAAAAAAH!”

…

Mikey was the first to recover as he coughed, perking his body quickly to see Leo unconscious beside him and the other…

Couldn’t make it in time!

“DONNIE!”

* * *

_Mikey: *shivering* Well, that was really relieving._

_Leo: Why are you so scared? You literally just lived this moment._

_Mikey: Yeah and I’m not willing to relive it…_

_Leo: *rolling his eyes* Whatever. *Points at the camera* Hey, you, reader! Whoever you are! Don't forget to thank @yukoTapioca for this!_

_Narrator: Next chapter, we’re going to find out what happened to Donnie. Every review is much appreciated!_


	2. At Least Not A Tiny Turtle...

_Leo: *looks around* Well, that was faster than expected._

_Mikey: Yeah, the author really wants to get this over with._

_Leo: *looks at Mikey* I don’t understand why you’re the only one speaking here with me… Where are the others?_

_Mikey: *shrugs* Y’know what happened to Don…_

_Leo: *rolling his eyes* I’m not talkin’ about him and you know it._

_Mikey: Oh, so you mean the narrator? She’s right there! *points*_

_Narrator: Should I start?_

_Leo: Wha- No-_

_Mikey: Go on!_

_Leo: Wait-_

_Narrator: *clears throat*_

* * *

**Chapter 2: At Least Not a Tiny Turtle…**

“…onnie- …Do-… Donnie-…!”

Leo peeled his eyes open upon hearing the quiet cries. _Huh, this sounds like Mikey._ But he wasn’t sure yet. His only younger brother sounded… scared. What happened? He couldn’t piece it together. Why would the youngest sound so worried?

He groaned and pushed himself up, and then, and only then, his memory came back to him. He jolted upwards, recalling the incidents faster than intended. The scent of heavy smoke filled his lungs, and he coughed as he tried to find his brothers.

And then he saw them.

His eyes widened.

Donnie was laying limp, and Mikey was crying while shaking him. The scene was more than enough to make Leo push all his pains away and run towards them.

He gasped as he got close, now taking a good look at his purple-loving brother. He thanked heavens that he was still wearing his battle-shell, or his own shell would be shredded in pieces as the machine right now. “Donnie!” He shouted in worry.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” Leo took one step back as he witnessed the furious expression Mikey wore, “Donne said that this was dangerous, and you didn’t listen!” The box turtle let out his steam as he cried, looking down after his shouting session.

And Leo knew his brother too much to see that he didn’t mean any of that, and so, he didn’t back away; instead, he got closer and landed on his knees, hugging Mikey. The orange clad didn’t even hesitate to hug him back,

“I-I’m sorry…” Mikey sniffed, “H-He wouldn’t r-respond to me…”

“I’m sorry too…” Leo stated sadly, his heart sinking at the sight of siblings. One crying, while one down, shredded glass beneath him.

Wait, what?

Leonardo swiftly but steadily broke the embrace to turn Donnie around, his face falling at the sight of glass and the purple liquid all over his brother’s plastron. He heard Mikey gasp immediately.

“What?” Leo asked.

“This chemical is supposed to reverse the effect of mutation!” Mikey announced loudly.

Leo quirked an eyebrow, “Which means?”

“Don’t you get it?! Donnie’s going to turn into a normal a turtle!”

Leo’s face shifted in horror, “WHAT?!” He yelled to Mikey’s face, the paused, “But… he seems normal to me... at least not a tiny turtle…”

Mikey put a finger on his chin while looking over the genius, “I’m not sure… maybe there’s something wrong with the formula…” His voice turned gloomier the more he stared at his fallen brother, then looked around. The lab, which was supposed to also be the infirmary, was partly destroyed, and small fires flamed in separate parts around. Mikey sighed sorrowfully, got up and ran, then pushed a rare button that –thankfully- survived. A fire extinguisher was instantly exposed from its hiding place, and Mikey held it and quickly put the fire off. The whole time, Leo was following his brother’s movements, while holding up Donnie’s head to support his breath.

“You seem to know some hidden secrets, there,” Leo grinned as the last flame was put out by the youngest, and the turtle in question turned around with a proud smile,

“I’ve been spending some extra time with Don lately…” He said, scratching the back of his neck. His facial expression then twisted, and he sprinted out of the lab after putting the extinguisher back.

“Where are you going?” Leo asked.

“To get dad and Raph! Put Donnie on any bed and take off his battle shell!”

Leo nodded, “I’ll go to my room!”

Mikey pulled a thumbs up before disappearing.

“Welp, dad’s easy, but Raph?” Leo chuckled, “Good luck with that…”

His face turned serious when he stood up and picked up his brother with him –bridal style-, who was surprisingly light… too light,

“Have you only been living on coffee?” Leo questioned in some concern, just now realizing how thin Donnie was. He sighed as no answer came, as expected. He wondered how his brother would react if he _actually_ woke up in his arms right now. Leo chuckled at the thought of Donnie being so embarrassed then pushing him off to fall down face first.

Then it dawned on him that he wasn’t going to be able to see any of that.

He knew that he was at fault, which was something he rarely admitted, but now, he couldn’t deny it. Maybe that’s why he didn’t argue with Mikey when he shouted to his face. He took the joke too far, and ignored Donnie’s warnings, even when he heard how serious his tone was. Worst part: Donnie was the one being punished right now…

Not him.

 _Stupid bad thoughts_ Leo grimaced as he finally reached his room, rested Donnie on the bed and took off the battle torn shell just as Mikey instructed, and also took off his gears and broken goggles. Man, Donnie’s gonna kill him after he wakes up.

He brought a chair near him and sat on it, then suddenly heard some noise he’d been living with for mostly his whole life…

_Snoring_

His father’s snoring.

Leo’s brows furrowed, _Why didn’t Mikey wake him up yet?_

**_Raph’s Room…_ **

“Oh, Come on, Raph!” Mikey jumped once more on his big brother’s shell, really wishing that he wasn’t such a heavy sleeper. Raph wasn’t even budging, even after the amount of punching and jumping he’d received. Mikey knew this wasn’t going to be easy, that’s why he started waking Raph up first before Splinter, but he didn’t expect it to be that hard.

“Uggghhhh…” Mikey grunted as he rolled on the spikey shell, resting for a minute before coming up with an idea…

He got up, closed the room’s door, and sucked up a big breath,

“MRS. CUDDLES IS BACK! HEEELP!”

“WAAAH! NOT MY BROTHERS!!!”

As expected, the largest turtle jounced at the name, dropping off bed and heading blindly for the door, too out of it to even realize that it was closed; and he bumped to it, landing on the floor with a groan.

Mikey immediately rushed to calm down his panicked brother, “Raph, calm down!”

“Where is she?!” He asked speedily as he stood up once again, his fists up in front of him.

“Calm down, Raph! She isn’t anywhere!”

Mikey was met by a scandalized look, “S-Sorry, but you didn’t want to wake up…”

Raph’s fists dropped, although relieved, he was still mad about the fact that his baby brother used that tactic to awaken him panicked, “And why’d you do that, mister? Do you know what time is it?!” Raph looked up at the clock because he too didn’t know what time it was, but like he predicted, it was pretty late.

“Donnie…”

Upon hearing the sorrow ton his brother emitted, Raph’s annoyed expression fell, seeing his baby brother on the edge of letting out tears.

“Woah, Mikey, I’m sorry…” Raph promptly apologized and got on his knees as Mikey wiped his eyes, sniffing, “What happened to Donnie?”

Mikey decided to cut his story short, “There was this big explosion in the lab and…” he stopped, now sobbing.

“WHAT?! EXPLOSION?! What happened?! Is he okay?!” Raph interrogated too quickly.

And was met by a head shake…

“Oh no…” Raph’s face turned to horror, getting up and pulling Mikey with him.

“They’re in Leo’s room…” Mikey said.

Raph faced his younger brother surprisingly, “‘They’re’? ‘Leo’s’? Are you all up!? Why didn’t you wake me too?”

Mikey made a ‘really?’ face up to his older brother.

“Oh, right, sorry…” Raph said sheepishly, “Did you wake dad yet?”

Mikey shook his head, “No, I’m going now…” He swiftly jumped and landed on the lower floor, sprinting towards his father’s room, and pushing it open.

“POPS!”

* * *

_Raph: Finally, I’m included!_

_Leo: I really don’t like the way I carried Donnie! Like shell I’d do that!_

_Mikey: *poking his cheek* You know you would do it…_

_Leo: Stop…_

_Raph: I bet that you already did it! *poking along with Mikey*_

_Leo: Please stop…_

_Narrator: Next Chapter; Donnie wakes up and things don’t go well. Every comment is appreciated! <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatever I do, I always throw some angst in there! ^^ Sorry, but I can’t help it! This is my strong point; I shall always add it! Hope you enjoyed! :D


	3. Bite, Bite, BITE!!

_Mikey: I don’t know about you, but I think that we’re moving way too fast…_

_Raph: Fast in what?_

_Mikey: I mean, it’s only been three days and we’re already in the third chapter, even though no reviews came at all. Don’t you think that it’s a bit… weird?_

_Raph: *smiles proudly* Of course not, the author likes us too much to leave the story hangin’!_

_Leo: Or maybe hates us too much and wants to get this over with…_

_Raph: *frowns* Hey, what’s up wit’ you?_

_Leo: I just don’t like how I took all the blame…_

_Mikey: *smirks* Oh, you’re feeling guilty, huh?_

_Leo: Shut up…_

_Narrator: Can you give me the permission, please?_

_Raph: As leader, I gladly do so!_

_Narrator: Very well…_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bite, Bite, BITE!**

Leo sighed as he tied his mask. Sure, this was going to be a long night. He took off his pajamas and put his gear on, leaving his sword where it was. What’s he gonna use it for, anyway?

The blue banded finished as he sat back on the chair, staring at his brother for a long while. He could still hear his father’s snoring, but he always learned to adapt with it, so it wasn’t a big deal for him. The problem was, Mikey still didn’t wake Raph up yet, and Donnie needed medical attention. Raph was the second-knower to treating people right after Don, and he should be here quickly in order to check on him. See if there were any injuries or burns.

Now that Leo thought about it, he was the least useful one about this whole situation. He didn’t do anything other than pick Donnie up to his room, which didn’t really do any progression. That made him feel worse, knowing that he was the cause of the problem, and not participating in any action rather than watch his brothers do all the work.

He grimaced silently, feeling some hatred for himself bubble in his stomach. What was he supposed to do in this team? What role was he filling? Would it even be a difference if they were without him? He wasn’t smart, he wasn’t strong, heck; he didn’t have the amazing skills Mikey had. Yeah, he held the most powerful weapon out of all of his brothers, but was he even using it right? He hadn’t learned to control it yet; so that brings back the old question…

What was he?

He sadly sighed and landed his eyes on the ground, too out of it to notice that he had been holding his twin’s limp hand the whole time; and also not noticing Raph rushing inside the room.

Raph came to halt as soon as he saw his younger brothers, and especially Donnie. The genius seemed so exhausted but peaceful at the same time, which was a seldom thing to see. He had several bruises all over his skin, and a strange liquid was splattered all over him. Raph’s eyes then shifted to the corner of the room, and saw the battle shell that looked as if it had just been out of a shredding company.

“Leo, what the hell happened?!” Raph yelled, despite trying to control his tone, but he couldn’t help it. Not only was Donnie in a bad shape, Leo wasn’t any better too. And now that he looked back at the time he was wakened up, Mikey also had some several bruises that reflected Leo’s. The three of them needed a handful of ice packs.

And Raphael needed some serious explanation.

Leonardo jumped as soon as he heard the eldest, yanking his arm away, and looking over his big brother. His voice was caught up in his throat the moment he needed it the most. He felt as if a lump was growing inside him, begging him to break loose and cry. But Leo controlled himself. He wouldn’t cry. Not now, not ever.

“It’s my fault…” Leo said in a tone he rarely ever used, almost breaking the promise he just had between him and himself.

Raph’s eyes widened upon hearing the intonation his brother emitted, deciding not to ask any further questions. He would have some answers later. Right now, he really had to get some ice packs.

“I’mma bring something, stay right there!” He announced then as soon as he arrived, he left. Leo sighed and rolled his eyes, _As if I’m gonna go anywhere…_ he thought.

Just as he was about to rest his posture, Mikey broke inside, mask on, alone. Leo looked at him, confused, “Where’s dad?”

Mikey was breathing heavily as if he’d ran for miles, “He’s coming… just… taking a shower…”

Leo’s brow raised, “A shower? What’s the occasion?” He snorted.

Mikey shrugged as his back straightened, “Y’know pops. Loves doing weird stuff at weird times…”

A question passed the older’s mind, “Does he know what happened?”

The youngest shook his head, “He didn’t let me explain, just scolded me a few times and stormed off saying that he needed a shower…”

Leo huffed and face-palmed. That wasn’t a good time. Even when their father may not do anything to help, he deserved to know. He still could be some use.

Heavy footsteps were coming close, and the youngsters easily knew that Raph was dashing at full speed. Not a second later and Raph entered the room; with burn creams, a bowl of cold water, towels and ice packs.

Leo and Mikey got out of the way to let Raph treat Donatello first, and the eldest sat down on the chair without a voice. Now, he could really see his purple-clad brother and how damaged he was. A burn growled on his right arm, a bruise on the same arm, another bruise on the head, and scratches on both knees. He really wondered how his brother landed hence this ‘explosion’, but planned to investigate those matters later, and started treating him.

Whilst working, Leo and Mikey were dead silent, just observing their big bros. Raph figured that something other than just an explosion occurred. And he had a feeling that Leo had a hand in this matter. Sighing while wiping the liquid off of his immediate younger brother, he ordered,

“You two, talk, now.”

Mikey was about to open his mouth, until Leo’s hand raised and he shook his head, signaling that he was the one going to explain,

"Okay, here we go," he announced, “So-I-smelled-something-burning-went-to-investigate-it-and-saw-Donnie-working-on-something-he-refused-to-tell-me-what-and-I-decided-to-annoy-him-to-let-him-go-to-sleep-Mikey-woke-up-and-pulled-me-then-let-me-go-after-Donnie-said-‘something’-‘something’-I-lost-my-balance-and-pushed-a-button-that-was-on-an-unstable-bomb-” He sucked a gasp after talking without breathing, then continued way more slowly, “And Donnie didn’t want to let his work go, so he went back and couldn’t get out of the lab on time…” He finished.

Raph stared with dumbfounded eyes at the information he received, wasn’t sure if he understood or not. He relapsed Leo’s word once again, then spoke, “And… what was Donnie working on?”

Mikey was the one to step, “A chemical that can undo the effects of mutation.” He crossed his arms, “Basically, it can turn any mutant into their original human or animal form.” He paused, “And… it got on him…”

“ **WHAT?!** ” Raph’s scream was so loud it almost dropped Leo and Mikey on the ground. The red-clad then whipped his head towards Donnie, quickly wiped the purple liquid and threw the towel in a nearby garbage can. His body then relaxed a little, not seeing any visible change upon Donnie’s form, which made him confused.

“Then why isn’t Donnie any different?” He asked, directing the youngest.

“I really don’t know. Maybe it misses something.”

“Guys, let’s forget about this right now…” Leo cut the speech, “The important thing is, Donnie’s going to be alright, right?” He said hopefully.

Mikey took some time before a smile plastered on his face, and Raph nodded firmly while treating his brother. Leo always had that spirit that made them all feel motivated. It happened the time when they failed to catch the paper thieves (aka Foot Brute & Foot Lieutenant), and it always worked when they were younger.

Before treating the burn on his brother’s bicep, Raph took two ice packs, wrapped them with towels, and handed each one to Leo and Mikey, “Put it on what hurts you the most…”

Leo scoffed, “Hurts? I’m not hurt! I don’t even feel a thing!”

Mikey silently poked a dark part on Leo’s crossed arm, and snickered when Leo jerked immediately, “HEY!”

The youngest shrugged, “Sorry, thought you didn’t feel a thing…”

Leo grumbled as he heard Raph chuckle along, and murmured angrily while placing the ice pack on the lesion. He took some time to cope with the sudden numbness he felt, and looked over Mikey to see that he was trying so hard not to show his pain. Michelangelo himself had landed on his legs rather than his arms, and without his knee pads, his knees had the full impact. He was surprised that the youngest was even standing at all.

“Miguel, sit down…” Leo ordered, receiving a hesitant expression from him.

“I-I’m fine…” He stuttered, crossing his arms and looking away.

Leo smirked as he whistled, then nonchalantly kicked Mikey on his calf, resulting to the orange-clad yelping and almost falling If Leo hadn’t caught his back. Mikey frowned as he saw the smug look on his big brother’s face,

“Sorry, thought you were fine…”

Michael rolled his eyes with a small smile from the childish payback before Leo straightened him, got him a chair, and rested him on it.

“Guys, can you just quit foolin’ around and treat yourselves like big boys?” Raph said in some annoyance.

“Sorry bro!” Leo apologized quite loudly with a mocking tone.

Raph shook his head with a silent grin. Man, being the big brother sometimes had its disadvantages.

He had secured the ice packs on Donnie’s bruises, and was going to work on the burn. He got another towel and soaked it in some water; and just as he was about to place the water on the injury, Donnie’s eyes shot open with a gasp!

Raph backed away from the sudden action, and both Mikey and Leo got close. Leo was the first one to react when he witnessed the panicked eyes of the purple-banded, jumping on him and hugging him close,

“Don, you’re back!” Leo nuzzled his head on his twin’s neck, but suddenly heard the frantic rising of his chest.

And weirdly enough, Donnie was emitting some strange sounds. Leo broke the hug and stood up with a raised brow, “Hey, are you okay…?”

“Leo…” Mikey whispered in some warning, backing away behind Raph’s arm. Leonardo turned around, not realizing that his hand was too close to Donnie’s mouth, “What?!”

“Get away from him…” Raph said as quietly as he could manage, shaking his head as Leo turned to look at Donnie again, who wasn’t resting on the bed anymore, but standing on all fours, his pupils turning into slits as he readied himself to attack-

BITE!

Leo’s eyes widened as his arm was secured between Donnie’s teeth, “GAAAAAAH WHAT THE HELL?!” He ran around the room in circles while Donnie still clenched to him.

“WHAT IS GOING ON, RAPH?!” Mikey said as he tried to break Leo free, but couldn’t catch up to him.

“I CAN THINK OF NOTHING!” Raph yelled as the purple-clad was grating the gloves Leo wore.

“BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!!”

Suddenly, Master Splinter entered in a rush, pausing as he saw the dilemma in the room, “My boys, what is happening?!”

“GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!” Leo screamed.

“hIsSsSsSsSsSsSsS!” Was the only reply before Donnie finally let him go, but attempted to jump on the others who were standing on the opposite side.

And they all screamed,

“AAAAAAAAAA!”

* * *

_Leo: Now, you see what happened, here? The situation isn’t at hand, and this chapter is too long for my liking._

_Mikey: I’m still not sure how this happened._

_Raph: Maybe we’re gonna find out later…_

_Mikey: Problem is, how are we gonna fix it?_

_Leo: Can you guys quit asking question?! We’re gonna know in the next chapter, no biggie…_

_Raph: Oh, and how are you so sure?_

_Leo: *smirks* I happened to meet the author._

_Mikey: *chuckles* You sure it isn’t just an obvious guess?_

_Leo: *frowns and scoffs* You like to tease me too much when you know that I’m right!_

_Raph: Right… *snorts* Yeah, and what do you think? *looks at Don*_

_Donnie: Hissssss_

_Raph: *nods* I totally agree with you._

_Narrator: Every review is followed by a thousand hearts! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part wasn’t supposed to be that angst-y, I swear! I don’t know what happened! It seems like I can’t write pure humor without some hurt/comfort getting in the way. Man, I suck at this...


	4. Containing the Non-contained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the great feedback, readers! ^^ This chapter is more angst than it is humor. I don’t know what I’m doing with life anymore…

_Leo: See? I told you that I’ve met the author!_

_Author: Well, he wasn’t lying…_

_Mikey: Wow! Leo’s right for once-_

_Leo: Hey!_

_Mikey: -So, say. Why were late in this specific chapter?_

_Author: Been dealin’ with some hard stuff lately…_

_Leo: Yeah, like what? Bullies? Murderers? Exa- OW OW OW!_

_Raph: *Tugging his mask tails* Sorry, he’s the second baby of the family._

_Author: I see… *smirks while crossing her arms* I just came here to personally thank everyone who supported my story. It was the only thing keeping me going between my problems. *pauses* Narrator?_

_Narrator: Yes, mistress?_

_Author: You’re up._

* * *

**Chapter 4: Containing the Non-contained**

“DON’T LET HIM CATCH YOU, POPS!”

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM DOING?”

It’s been a 10-minute chase up till now, and Donnie still had the energy to run on all fours across the lair, despite his lack of sleep. He’d began targeting Splinter right after sniffing him once or twice, and the old rat fell apart as he saw one of his biggest fears come true…

His son actually wanting to eat him…

Yes, soft-shelled turtles eat mice and rats, and Splinter had hoped to keep this a secret from his sons. He didn’t want them to take Purple as a predator, yet now, he didn’t know what to do anymore. He just kept running, and even tried to back him off by using weapons as a threat, however, that just made the said turtle angrier. Of course, Splinter wasn’t even considering to use the weapons on his son, but Purple’s close chances to biting him were sending him off the edge.

Raph and Mikey were panicking the whole time, while Leo was still holding his aching wrist. Man, were his brother’s teeth sharp. And man, was he fast. Donnie had practically gone into every room, wrecked it a few times before going into another, in less than ten minutes. And they say turtles are the slowest creatures.

Michelangelo was striving so hard to grab Donnie with his kusari-fundo, but was too anxious about getting his brother hurt. Donnie still hadn’t attacked him or Raph until now; and Mikey had a feeling that he wasn’t going to; that’s why he was trying to get on his big brother’s safe-side, and let him be able to trust them.

It seemed as if Donnie had been holding a grudge against Leo and Splinter only, and not just because of his animalistic change. Against Leo, that was understandable; but Splinter? Why?

Okay, maybe Splinter’s deal was just because of the animalistic change…

After what felt like a life-time, the brothers were finally able to catch Donnie when he began to slow down and fall tired,

“I got him!” Raph yelled while struggling to keep his arms from being bitten, holding a hissing Donnie, “Leo, quick! Get me a rope!”

“On it!” Leo yelled with no hesitance, bringing in the rope that Mrs. Cuddles had once secured them with, and didn’t dare to get close to his twin. He just handed Mikey the rope, and watched his baby brother as he sadly yet firmly tied Donnie’s whole body, leaving the soft-shelled into nothing but growls, hisses and attempts to attack.

“Donnie! Calm down, please!” Mikey yelled somewhat painfully, not taking the sight of his brother screeching horrifically as if being tortured by the evil ropes around him.

And, funnily enough, Donnie obeyed almost instantly; his breath still heavy, but his posture completely relaxed. He still sent some dangerous hisses to his brothers, and specifically Leo.

“Took the note: I’m never hugging him again.” Leo said from a distance, still holding his wrist. It was a miracle that his glove took most of the damage, or his veins would be pouring down blood at the moment.

“Leo, he isn’t aware of what is goin’ on right now! Don’t blame him!” Raph said.

“THEN WHO’S TO BLAME?!” Leo spat louder than intended, earning surprised looks from both of his brothers. He immediately realized this and murmured, “S-Sorry… it’s just…” He sighed, his head hanging low.

He wasn’t taken aback by a pair of strong arms wrapped around him, “Hey, hey, don’t beat yourself up.” Raph said soothingly, caressing his brother as if he was once again a little turtle, “Let’s patch ya’ up when Donnie calms down…” Leo bumped his head into Raph’s plastron, showing that he was hopeless. Raph realized this and broke the hug to send a firm look towards the younger, “We’re gonna fix this, I’m sure!”

“Pops, we caught him! You can come out now!” Both elder males turned to the youngest, who wasn’t paying any attention to the conversation, and was still beside Donnie. The said genius had relaxed completely right now and closing his eyes, maybe sleeping, but maybe not.

“Mike, what did you do to him?” Raph asked as he approached, bewildered yet concerned.

Mikey shrugged, “I didn’t do anything,” A sudden blush crossed his face when Raph gave an unconvinced look, “Okay, maybe I stroke his head a few times. Donnie would do that to me a lot when I’m about to go to sleep, so I guessed that it would work on him too…” He explained somehow embarrassingly.

Raph chuckled with amusement after he’d comprehended the sentence, and soon Leo followed in suit. They both knew how Donnie and Mikey had a great bond, maybe greater than any of them would have. It made Raph and Leo feel satisfaction and jealousy at the same time.

The light mood was cut when Splinter approached from his hiding place, a slight panic on his face. He made sure that there was a good distance between him and the raging turtle

“Anyone cares to explain how this happened?” Splints said once he was between his sons.

All eyes landed on Leo, who sighed dramatically after knowing that he had to explain his faults for the second time. He wasn’t in the mood to use the tactic of ‘talking-too-fast-without-breathing’ that he had used with Raph, though. He just needed to trim the story without missing an important detail,

“Donnie was awake all night, I argued with him to convince him to sleep, a bomb went off in the lab and Donnie couldn’t make it out in time…”

Raph then stepped to guess, “You think he had a concussion?” He received confused looks, “I mean, think about it. A concussion can cause memory loss…”

“But, from what I know, memory loss makes you forget _some_ of your memory,” Leo replied, “Look at the dude, he can’t even speak!”

Raph thought for some moments before nodding, “Yeah, good point.”

Then they turned to Mikey, who appeared to be contemplating with a hand on his chin, looking over sleeping Donnie.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Miguel?” Leo asked with a small grin, feeling that Mike was the one going to figure it out.

“My guess is,” Mikey began, “It _has_ to be something with these chemicals, the ones Donnie were working on.”

“What chemicals?” Splinter asked, a frown crossing his face as though Blue didn’t mention that.

Leo chuckled hesitantly, “Oh, yeah. Did I forget to mention that Donnie was working on a retro-mutagen?”

Jitsu’s eyes went wide, and screamed a very loud “WHAT!”, before realizing his mistake as Donatello stirred and growled in his sleep. After a while of held breaths, the soft-shelled regained his composure.

Sighs of relief escaped everyone’s throats –except Donnie-, and Splinter cleared his throat and steadied himself, not sure of what to reply with upon the information he’d received.

The old rat had a strong feeling that this whole ‘chemical’ had a deal with him. Since his sons found out about his true identity, each one of them handled the information in a different way. Though they all were proud and contended that they were living with their real half-biological father, some of the later comebacks weren’t all lighthearted.

For instance; Mikey once had a breakdown, and when Yoshi tried to calm him down, the young turtle lashed out, saying that he didn’t know who to trust anymore –obviously hinting at Splinter’s lies-. The old rat was, with no doubts, taken aback by the words of his sweet son, but decided to admit that he was indeed to blame. In the end, things worked out after some talks back and forth.

A similar moment soon occurred, but with Leonardo. One day, the blue clad had suddenly stopped speaking to him, which troubled Splinter. He appeared to act normally around his brothers, but when it came to Jitsu, Leo would just avoid talking to him. Not a single remark, not a single look. He even didn’t want to attend the family gathering watch the movies like they always do, muttering the excuse of ‘needing to have some fresh air’. Normally, Splints would be just fine with Leonardo – and especially, Leonardo- away from him, but that day was just a whole different story. In the middle of the same night, Splinter barged into his son’s room, finding him unsurprisingly awake, and began to interrogate him about his behaviors. The terrapin, much to Splinter’s surprise, wasn’t feeling angry at all, yet guilty. He said that he regretted saying “You’re just a rat” to his father the moment he wanted to train them. He apologized several times while explaining his feelings, and finally cried at his final sentence. Splinter embraced his son, saying that he forgave him, and promised him that this meltdown was just between them and was going to be kept as a secret.

As for Raphael, the oldest was the most understanding of the situation. He comprehended Splinter’s motives as to why he kept that as a secret, and his reactions weren’t as intense as his younger brothers. Though, he was always talking to Splinter when he was feeling down, and often brought up the whole ‘Lou Jitsu’ issue while talking to him.

Donatello was the only turtle who didn’t seem to care enough, from Splinter’s point of view. Whilst it was clear that Donnie found it great when the rat said how proud he was at him, and loved to spend time with his father –according to the whole demolition derby instant-, the purple lover never showed any signs to be affected by the whole discovery.

Yet now, Splinter highly doubted that. It appeared that Donnie was hiding his true feelings this whole time. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he was the most one to be affected by it. Maybe that’s why he was so upset about Splinter lying about spending time with him in the demolition derby, almost crying as he yelled, “You lied!”

Sighing heavily as he returned back to the real world, his sons were still standing in front of him, talking to each other to try to figure out what to do next.

Making up his mind, Splinter spoke, “Orange, Red and Blue, I believe you should all check Purple’s lab to see if you find anything important that might bring him back to us.”

Silence heaved as his three sons blinked at him, startled by how serious and gloomy he sounded. They all took the hint of obeying him, and quickly.

But before Leonardo took the first step of the stairs after his brothers, he turned around to look at his father,

“You think there’s a possibility, dad?” He asked, his tone gloomier than usual.

Splinter didn’t hesitate to reply, “I do, Blue. In fact, I believe that you’re gonna bring him back very soon.”

Leo took some seconds before giving a small sad smile at his dad, and heading again to the lab.

* * *

_Leo: Seriously, why are you turning this dark all of a sudden?_

_Author: I can't really stick to humor only._

_Mikey: I really like how smart I am in this fic! *smiles proudly*_

_Leo: Yeah, 'in this fic'. In real life, though, you're still an annoying goofball..._

_Mikey: Hey!_

_Narrator: Next chapter, some secrets are discovered. Every review is followed by a hundred hugs! xoxoxo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mikey’s breakdown part is inspired by [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701658/chapters/44200831). It’s a Mikey-centered multi-stories fic that is too adorable for its own good! Go check it out if you haven’t already.


	5. Is the Situation That Funny?

_Leo: FINALLY, you’re back! What took you so long? We were beginning to worry here!_

_Author: Sorry…_

_Leo: ‘Sorry’? That’s it?! Where are your excuses, young lady? I am very disappointed in you!_

_Mikey: Are you her dad or something?_

_Leo: Don’t interrupt me while lecturing this irresponsible woman!_

_Raph: Finally, we can safely assume that Leo’s gone koo-koo…_

_Leo: *quietly* What did you just say? *chuckles* What. Did. You. Just. Say?!*points at Raph* IF-YOU-THINK-I’M-CRAZY-THEN-YOU-SHOULD-CHECK-YOURSELF-FIRST-I’M-NOT-CRAZY-AND-YOU-KNOW-IT-I’M-JUST-TOO-UPSET-WITH-LIFE-AND-I-HOPE-YOU’RE-HAPPY-N-_

_Author: Someone please shut him up for me…_

_Mikey: *Slaps Leo, and he shuts up* Your welcome~_

_Leo: *Growl, then smirks* COME HERE YOU- *Jumps at Mikey*_

_Mikey: GAAH!_

_*Leo and Mikey roll on the ground while laughing*_

_Raph: *chuckles* Kids…_

_Author: *smiles* Yup…_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Is the Situation That Funny?**

Mikey, Leo and Raph were scattered all over the lab, trying to find something useful. The laboratory was too big for its own good, and searching for nothing specific may take longer than expected.

Mikey wasn’t sure if they were going to pinpoint anything. Donnie’s work had been on his working table, which was the first thing that had been destroyed since the bomb was on it. His planner, -that may or may not be the thing that he had planned his work on- was long gone, the computer’s cords were shredded, and the green chalk board was half destroyed. The other half had some scribbles, but they were too messy for Mikey to read.

Raph opened several drawers, every time coming up with something that wasn’t related to their problem. Of course he didn’t expect a big red button that said ‘push me when Donnie turns into a wild turtle’ –though he hoped there was-, but at least wanted anything that was close to that.

He looked over his brothers to see how they were doing, and it dawned on him once he saw Leo wincing slightly. He completely forgot that they both were injured hadn't had the time to treat themselves properly.

“Hey, Leo,” He spoke to the turtle next to him quietly, who turned to him, “Does your arm hurt? Should I get the aid?”

Leo blinked twice while having a blank face, then lightly brushed a hand on both his bicep bruise and bite place. They did hurt, but he’d rather get this Donnie deal over with other than lie down do nothing. It was his fault anyway.

Besides, someone else needed it more…

“Nah, I’m good…” He smiled, then lowered his voice, pointing a thumb behind him, and covering his mouth with the other hand, “You should be worrying about Mike over there. Last time I checked, his knees were in a pretty bad shape…”

Raph listened closely and turned to look over his youngest brother. He appeared to be too focused to bother about anything else.

“D’you think that he’d snap if I interrupted him?” Raph asked with a hint of playfulness.

“Probably…” Leo shrugged with a smug smirk, “Do something he doesn’t like, and you’re done for.”

“Oh, man…” Raph chuckled.

“What are you guys doing over there?” Mikey called in curiosity, seeing his brothers whispering to each other.

Leo and Raph jumped with a squeak, facing the youngest as he crossed his arms together.

Raphael quickly regained his posture and smiled, “Nothing, Mikey. Just discussin’ the situation.”

“And was the situation _that_ funny?” Mikey’s mask shifted as if he was raising a brow.

Leo face palmed, “Agh, don’t tell me that staying with Donnie for too long is beginning to have its effects here…” he said with mocking annoyance, as Mikey was acting too much like their genius brother.

Mikey’s frown deepened, and Raph stepped in,

“Okay, buddy, let’s be honest here,” He stood up, and landed both of his arms on his brother’s shoulders, “You need to rest.”

“I’m not resting when Donnie is-”

“Mikey…” Raph interrupted, “If you stand up for too long without a treatment, you might hurt yourself more…”

Mikey was looking up at his brother, then averted his eyes down on the ground.

“Your knees hurt, don’t they?” Raph asked.

Mikey nodded, “Yeah, they do.” He answered quietly.

“Then why don’t you go upstairs, patch ya’self up, and sit down for a lil’ bit?” Raph asked softly.

“B-But Donnie-”

“Hosh, hosh, hosh!” Leo hissed, planting a finger on his own mouth, “Quit worrying about Dee, because we got this. You can count on us…”

Mikey paused for some seconds before muttering, “You promise you will tell me if you found somethin’?” He asked, his puppy eyes showing.

Raph smiled, “O’course, Mike! Don’t sweat it!”

Mikey gave a smile to his two brothers, then hesitantly and slowly made his way out of the lab.

Leo and Raph’s expressions gloomed once Mikey was out of their sight, looking at each other in worry, before returning back to their search. Leo sat crossed legged in front of a large box that was filled with paper, while Raph was checking if the computer could work anymore.

“Why are you quiet all of a sudd’n?”

Leo turned his head to see Raph still messing with the computer.

“I don’t know…” Leo stated with a shrug, fixing his gaze at the box, “I really think that this is hopeless. Because the only one who can fix Donnie right now is… Donnie…”

Raph was quiet for some seconds, bending two circuits together.

“What made you go into Donnie’s lab in the first place, Leo?”

“Huh?” Leo rose an eyebrow at the sudden irrelevant question.

“Should I rephrase ‘dat?” Raph asked with a frown, “What was the reason behind Donnie’s little visit tonight?”

Leo’s face turned more perplexed, “What brought up that question all of a sudden?”

“Would you just answer?” Raph hissed, looking angry at him.

“Okay~?” Leo said, “It’s nothing odd, really. I do that every time I hear Donnie in the middle of the night…” Leo thought for some seconds, “B-But tonight, there was that burning smell, and… I was kinda… ummm~”

“Kinda what?” Raph asked, now his full attention on his brother.

“Wrrid…” He slurred.

“WHAT?” Raph asked.

“Ugh!” Leo put both his arms up, “I was worried okay? I know that I shouldn’t have been and that I should’ve gone back to sleep, but…” his tense expression faded away, “…I couldn’t help but feel that something wasn’t right…” He paused, “Now, Donnie probably hates me, even in the state he’s in now…” He covered his eyes whilst shaking his head, “…I’m such an idiot.” He finished

Raph sighed as he closed his eyes, “Leo, if you were up all night, doing some crazy stuff, and Donnie woke up at that time. What is the first thing he would he do?”

Leo thought for some seconds, “Go check on me?”

“Exactly,” Raph said while focusing on the wires between his palms, “And would you be mad at him for carin’ about you?”

“NNNNooo~” Leo hummed quietly, eying his big brother.

“That’s it, Leo.” Raph stated, “What you did was the ordinary thing to do; and Donnie would never hate you, or any of us. His attack on you was a normal reaction to his transformation. He felt threatened…”

“Then why was he hissing on me, and _only_ me?” Leo argued, “It’s not like he touched you or Mikey. Heck, he let Mikey _stroke_ his head!” He finished while crossing his arms, looking away.

“Awww, someone sounds jealous~” Raph smirked, getting away from the point.

Leo turned to him with a frown, “Wha- Hey! I’m not jealous!” He turned around again, “I-may-or-may-not-be-green-eyed-because-Mikey-was-the-one-able-to-calm-him-down-and-not-me-” Leo paused while talking, suddenly accusing a finger on Raph, “Wait! You’re dodging my question!”

Raph snickered quietly, amused by his younger brother’s actions, “C’mon, bro. You’re totally jealous…” His expression shifted promptly, muttering under his breath, “Stupid wire!”

Leo rolled his eyes, deciding to end the conversation there. Burying his hand inside the box in front of him, he took out a handful of paper and began to unfold them all. Most of them were some weird drawings of some weird machines he’d never seen before, some of them were drawings that had big crosses or scribbles over them. By the time he unfolded the tenth paper, Leo came to the conclusion that this box contained all the thoughts Donnie abandoned. It would make sense to assume that what he was looking for wasn’t there, because Donnie wasn’t working on something abandoned. But, Leo was too lazy to move, and decided to finish with this box before starting to search for anything again.

Heading for a blue paper lazily, the eared-slider opened it, not completely getting what was on it, but the drawings seemed odd, weird…

And familiar.

“Hey! Does this seem important to you?” Leo asked aloud while holding the blue paper, gaining Raph’s attention immediately. He left the wires between his hands and strolled towards his brother, squatting to glance at the paper beside Leo.

“This is weird,” Leo said, pointing at another drawing at the top, “This looks like a beaker, and the flame beneath it… it was just like the chemical that Donnie was making. But, why would this paper be here?” He asked, much to himself.

“Wait! Turn the paper over…” Raph ordered.

Leo did as told, to be surprised by more drawings on the back, with also some writing. It was like a comic.

“Is that… Splinter?” Raph quirked an eyebrow at the drawing in the bottom of the page, which looked like their rat father, but taller, and having a smile on his face; and it was important to mention that he was looking towards another figure, which by no doubts was Donnie, and the speech bubble above their dad saying, “I’m proud, my son!”

“Why is dad… taller than normal?” Leo questioned in curiosity.

“‘Splinter goes to sleep’?” Raph read over, “‘Stalking from Leo’s room with the sound tracker’? ‘One drop and BAM’??? WHAT IS ALL THIS?!” He shouted.

Leo narrowed his eyes, “Maybe Mikey knows somethin’ about this?”

The turtles exchanged looks before nodding, and just as they were about to stand up-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

-a scream shook the lair.

* * *

_Author: I’m too sad to make dialogues in the end, sorry!_

_Narrator: Next chapter, Mikey will figure things out! Every comment is appreciated! <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raph and Leo moments are my favorites! ^^


	6. Holy Pizza Supreme...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squeeeeee! ^^ I love this chapter so friggin’ much!!!

_Mikey: The new episodes were LIT, weren’t they?!_

_Author: They were! ‘Pizza Puffs’ was my favorite! X3_

_Leo: I bet because I was **so hot **in that episode! Pun intended, and I nailed it!_

_Mike, Author & Raph: Boooooo~_

_Author: This is, by far, the lamest joke I’ve ever heard from you…_

_Leo: You’re just jealous because you can’t come up with something better!_

_Author: Oh, yeah? Then what about a pun contest?!_

_Leo: Challenge aaaccepted~_

_Raph: This is gonna be sweet!_

_Mikey: Three, two, one, GO!_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Holy Pizza Supreme…**

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Raph and Leo jumped simultaneously, their alert ringing at its highest volume. They looked up at each other in worry, then Raph’s eyes widened,

“Have we left Pops with Donnie _in the same room_ , _ALONE_?!”

Leo smacked his forehead before running towards the stairs, Raph close behind him. Once they made it downstairs, their expectations were true: Donnie was out of his ties…

But they didn’t expect Mikey to be down there with him.

The scene before them was a mess. Donnie, his mask shredded and his pupils as slits, was running around in circles, while Mikey’s kusari-fundo was tied all around Donnie’s abdomen, trying to pull him while shouting his name.

Raph and Leo approached shortly after observing the muddle,

“MIKEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Raph inquired.

Mikey groaned at the great force he was using to tug his brother, “I BROUGHT THE ICE PACKS, AND SAT HERE BESIDE DONNIE! WHAT ELSE DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO?!” He yelled angrily.

“OKAY, CLAM DOWN!” Leo rose his voice, holding the chains of the weapon along with his brother, and Raph was ahead of them trying to calm Donnie down, “How did this happen?!”

“He woke up just as dad left, and was somehow able to cut the rope!”

“Oh, F- AGH!” Leonardo was cut off when Donnie grabbed the chain behind him with his teeth and tugged it close to himself, causing Mikey and Leo to fall on their plastrons, and Donnie to be free.

Raph caught Donnie’s leg before he could go anywhere, and scooped the naked soft-shelled in his arms. Lifting the genius’s legs off the ground, Raph was about to get bit if it wasn’t for his reflexes.

“He’s even angrier than before! What got him so worked up?” Raph asked while avoiding Don’s jaw and claws.

Just as Raph glanced backwards, he saw the box turtle fall on one knee, grimacing.

“MIKEY, WHAT HAPPENED?” Leo and Raph asked in unison. Leo got close to inspect his younger brother, to see an ugly bite mark on his ankle, letting out mild amounts of blood.

“He _HURT_ you?!” Leo shouted, brushing a hand on the injury to receive a flinch in response.

“No, no! It was an accident!” Mikey quickly defended, shaking his head several times, “He freaked out after finding out that it was _me_ whom he bit!”

“I told you to go upstairs to treat yo’self!” Raph scolded the youngest, looking for another rope to tie his immediate younger brother, “Why did you come here instead?!”

“I couldn’t just do nothing!” Mikey yelled back, while Leo looked for medical supplies, “I tried inspecting Donnie and figure out what was going on, and guess what? I did!”

Raph’s expression fell as he turned to the youngest, “Y-You did?”

Leo came back with alcohol and gauze, and sprayed the disinfectant several times on the bite mark, earning a low hiss in pain from Mikey.

“Sorry…” Leo mumbled unconsciously in a very quiet tone.

And Mike heard it. “I’m okay. It’s nothing…” He assured, smiling up to his older brother, and the said brother smiled back.

After wrapping the bandage around Mikey’s injury, both youngsters turned their attention to their other brothers. Their hearts fell when they saw Donnie in a small, confined, metal cage; and Raph sitting in front of him cross-legged, head hanging.

“Where did you find this?” Leo inquired suspiciously as soon as he was behind Raph.

“Found it once in Donnie’s lab and asked him ‘bout it,” Raph explained, staring at his animalistic brother in a sad gaze, “He said that it would help us when Pops gets sick again…”

Leo’s feature turned from quizzical to sorrowful, watching his twin biting on his own arm, his soft-shell facing them. It was weird how much Leo wanted to see those dull, uninterested eyes mocking him again, because those raging, unfocused slits were making him shudder and he just couldn’t help but feel like this wasn’t his brother.

A great lump filled Leo’s throat. This sitch was getting out of hand. Even he didn’t know what to do. They may or may not be losing Donnie at that point, or even lost him already.

No, no. He wouldn’t cry. Not now.

Leo was knocked out of his thoughts the moment he sensed Mikey beside him,

“ARE YOU TREATING HIM LIKE AN ANIMAL?!” The youngest shouted.

Raph put his palms up in front of him, while Donnie growled at the loud voice, “Mike-”

“GET HIM OUT OF THERE, RAPH, RIGHT NOW!” Mikey yelled, running towards the cage to open it.

“No, Mikey, LISTEN TO ME!” Raph screamed, tugging the back of his baby brother’s shell before having the chance of freeing Donnie.

“LET ME GO! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Mikey struggled as his toes no longer touched the floor.

“No, you stay here! I don’t want him to hurt any of you anymore!” Raph ordered.

“He didn’t. HURT ME!” Mikey grappled between Raph’s arms once again.

“Raph, Raph! I think you should let him go!” Leo said, “Look!” He pointed at Donnie.

Raph turned his head to see Donnie hissing at him roughly, shifting his attention from Raph to Mikey, as if threatening the oldest. Raph locked his gaze at the soft-shelled, while slowly lowering Mikey down, and as he did so, Donatello’s tense form was softening. Once Mikey’s feet touched the ground, Donnie sat there on his knees, eyes normal, and a satisfied small smile on his face.

Leo watched in awe, transforming his stare from Mike, to Don, to Mike again. Raph wasn’t any different.

Mikey dropped on his knees in front of the cage when he was free, and Donnie stepped away, whimpering as he shifted his gaze towards the ankle he bit.

“Hey, hey, it’s o-kay…” Mikey said softly, “I’m okay…”

He reached a hand to touch his brother between the metal bars, but Donnie flinched, refusing to accept the gesture.

“It’s alright, look,” The youngest said in the gentlest tone he could manage, moving his leg to reveal the bandage, “My leg is fine. It wasn’t your fault.”

Donnie got close and sniffed the injury carefully. Not a minute after, he was nuzzling Mikey’s hand like a play thing. The youngest terrapin smiled, both him and his brother purring in at the same time, enjoying each other’s presence.

Leo’s jaw was wide open, his shell hunched as he murmured, “Holy pizza supreme…”

“And I thought Donnie didn’t like being close ta his family…” Raph murmured back, his eyes vast.

“Dude, I gotta bring a camera!” Leo said as he was about to run for it, but Raph caught his shell without hesitance.

“You know those two could kill you if ya do that, right?” Raph asked.

“Donnie? Nohohoho~. But Dr. Delicate Touch? Definitely...” Leo snickered.

Raph rolled his eyes with a smile, before returning his attention to the other two. He watched his brothers closely, and he couldn’t help but to have a sympathetic smile cross his face. Him and Leo took a step closer.

Donnie’s state tensed suddenly, breaking the touch of Mikey’s hand and returning back into attacking stance: standing on all fours, his shell hunched, his mouth growling and his eyes whitening.

“No, no, no, no!” Mikey blocked Donnie’s fixed look on the other two, and Donnie retreated slightly, “These two are nice. They. Are. Good.” Michelangelo said slowly, taking Leo’s hand.

“H-Hey, what are you-?” Leonardo didn’t get to finish his sentence as he was pulled roughly to sit beside Mikey. Donnie hissed and growled at him, and Leo winced unconsciously, slightly hurt that his twin was treating him this way, though Leo would never admit it.

Mikey took Leo’s good hand and patted himself with it, “See? He isn’t bad.” Leo was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do exactly, but whatever Mikey was doing seemed to work, as Donnie’s pupils reappeared. It took some more pats on Mikey’s head -Leo was the one doing it now that Mikey let his hand go- for Donnie to get closer to Leo on his own.

Leo held the urge of not panicking when Mikey caught the cage lock and slid it, letting Donnie free.

“Raph, please disappear at the moment until I tell you to come.” Mikey whispered behind him. Usually, Raph would complain about someone bossing him around other than Splinter, but he did none of that and obeyed Mikey with no words. He took the upstairs and stopped halfway to observe what was happening.

Donnie stepped out of the cage hesitantly, tilting his head as his face no longer had its grimace. Leo continued to pat Mikey’s head, but at the same time, never leaving his eyes off his older twin.

The soft-shelled was now an inch apart from Leo.

“Pat him with your other hand!” Mikey whispered.

“B-But he might bite it again!” Leo whispered back.

“He won’t, trust me…”

Leo, with a doubt face, did as told. He reached his –prior bitten- hand to his twin’s head, recoiling it as soon as Donnie made a movement. Donatello, in question, seemed so conflicted and confused, glancing at Mikey then glancing at Leo. Sucking in a breath, Leo extended his arm once more, making no retreat this time when Donnie flinched again. He kept his arm at reach, and for some long seconds, there was nothing except stares. For a moment the slider thought that nothing was going to happen, until Donnie suddenly sniffed his palm, then steadily booped his head onto it.

Leo gasped and his smile was so wide, he could have squeaked if it wasn’t for the circumstances. He slowly let the Mikey’s head go to touch his twin with both hands. His heart was bumping contentedly when Donnie didn’t flinch at all, but nuzzled closer and a small smile crossed his face.

“Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!!” Leo breathed in quietly, overly excited that Donnie wasn’t seeing him as a threat anymore.

“Your welcome~” Mikey replied while smiling proudly.

“How did you learn these trick, you orange devil?” Leo asked in a smug smirk.

Mikey grinned, “Some things are too hard for you to understand~”

Leo’s face fell as he pouted and scoffed his head away, rolling his eyes when hearing Mikey chuckle. His expression then changed when Donnie rested his head against his lap, getting comfy.

“Looks like this guy’s gonna give in real soon~” Leo stated with a soft beam.

“Oh, man.” Mikey whined, “How am I supposed to get him to trust Raph if he’s going to sleep?”

Raph was grinning from above the stairs, seeing the scene of trust take action. The brothers always knew how Mikey was so good with animals, and how he could tame any kind, ferocious or gentle. It warmed Raph’s heart to no extent when he saw that Donnie was finally able to trust _Leo_. _LEO_ , who got on Donatello’s nerves every so often, and who was also the reason why Donnie was in this state, had got the trust card from his twin brother.

And that gave Raph hope. Even if the cure was too far from their reach at the moment, at least Donnie was going to be calm and controlled and not rampaging around and hissing at every little movement he noticed.

Raph snapped out of his thoughts when Mikey faced him and motioned with his hand for him to come.

“So, I see that y’r enjoying your moment there, Leon…” Raph snickered, taunting the second youngest.

Leo blushed and huffed in response, “Nooooo~” He said, scratching Donnie’s head lightly.

Raph chuckled before turning to the box turtle, “Mike, would you do the honor of telling me what you found out, please?”

Leo glanced at both of them, “Wait, you figured this out?”

Mikey nodded to Leo then looked up at Raph, his expression turning solid, “Okay, so, after a lot of thinking, I came to a logical conclusion that Donnie’s chemical was missing something important. Something that was necessary to make this antidote work. Without it, it only did half of its job.”

Leo and Raph exchanged glances before Leo muttered, “So, you mean-”

“Donnie’s chemical was _supposed_ to work. He should have turned to a normal, small turtle; but without the main ingredient, Donnie’s body stayed as large as it is, while his mind began functioning as a normal soft-shelled…”

Leo and Raph stared at him, amazed and dumbfounded at the same time.

Mikey thought that they didn’t get it and thought of a way to simplify it to them, “Think of it as a human who got mutated through his brain only. His body structure didn’t change, but he still would act as the said animal that he was supposed to turn into…”

“I-I understand, Mikey, but… how are we going to fix it?” Leo questioned.

Mikey’s head dropped, “I don’t know. All I could do was find the reason, but without the formula, I-”

“Wait! The formula is with us!” Raph rushed into saying, “Leo!”

“Oh, right!” Leo said as he got the paper and handed it to Mikey.

Mikey gasped as he snatched it from Leo, observing it carefully, “Where… did you find this?”

“In some box with lots of other papers…” Leo was the one to answer.

Mikey nodded and read the paper silently, his eyes narrowing.

“Soooo~?” Leo asked.

Mikey sighed, “I-I don’t know these types of chemicals, or how they work…” His noddle hung as he breathed in, feeling as if disappointing his brothers.

“Hey, don’t be so harsh on yo’self,” Raph said, sitting down and scooping Mikey into a side-hug as the box turtle sniffed, “We’ll think of another way.”

“Yeah, it’s not like anyone of us is as genius as Donnie is, so don’t blame yourself…” Leo said.

Raph’s head suddenly shot, alarmed as the statement rang some bells, “Say that sentence again!”

Leo confusingly narrowed his eyes, “Uhhh, ‘don’t blame yourself’?”

Raph shook his head, “No, no, that _other_ part!”

“‘It’s not like anyone of us is as genius as Donnie is’?”

“That’s IT!” Raph stood up frankly.

“What’s ‘it’?” Mikey asked.

“Donnie’s pizza fun box!”

Mikey and Leo looked at each other, “Pizza fun box?” They whispered in unison, sensing some familiarity.

Suddenly, Mikey gasped, “Nooo…”

Leo also gasped, “You mean that time when Donnie turned us all into smart people?”

“Yeeeesss.” Raph nodded.

“B-But that could be dangerous!” Mikey stated, “Last time, we didn’t want to turn back!”

“Oh, c’mon. This was probably because we were holding a grudge against Donnie.” Raph said, “Besides, we have plenty of beach balls here.”

“Then who’s gonna get smarter? Of course, not me!” Leo shook his head.

“Not me, either.” Raph said.

Mikey shifted his glances to them, “Oh, gosh…” He mumbled, “Look, I’m fine with that, but it’s not like we have another Dragon’s Tooth to return me back. And… what if I became too smart and decided to ditch you a-”

Mikey silenced when Leo’s finger was planted on his lips, “Relax, bud. Last time, we were three, we needed a lot of power. This time, it’s just you, so I guess that electricity would be more than enough for you.”

“And,” Raph put a hand on Mikey’s shoulder, “we would never let you sleep with these genius cells in your mind. We’ll make sure that y’ll be back right after making the antidote. And hopefully,” Raph paused slightly, a sad smile crossing his face, “Donnie would be there to congratulate you too…”

Mikey’s emotions overwhelmed him, looking over Donnie with sad eyes. A glim of hope suddenly made its way out, and Mikey nodded fiercely to both of his bros,

“For Donnie?”

“For Donnie!”

* * *

_Leo: Okay, okay, hear this: Last night, I dreamt I was swimming in an ocean of orange soda, but it was just a **Fanta sea**!! AHAHAHA!_

_Author: Oh my God, I’m gonna puke! Now, **you** listen: What do you call a bee that can’t make up its mind? A **maybe**. Pffffff~_

_Leo: Gurl, this is worse! Let the expert teach you one: I went to buy some camouflage trousers yesterday, but I **couldn’t find any**! _

_Author: *Throws up*_

_Leo: Hey! It isn’t that bad, is it? *looks to Mikey and Raph*_

_Raph: Dude, you two have been goin’ on about this for an hour! Can we just call it a tie?_

_Author: *shoots up* NEVER! Hey, Leo, did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He’s **alright** now~!_

_Leo: *smirks* No way! Seems like not much was **left** for him!_

_Author: This joke seems pretty **one sided**!_

_Mikey and Raph: UUUUGGGGHHH!_

_Narrator: Next chapter; Mikey gets into the ‘pizza fun box’. Every review is appreciated!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the puns are not mine, and are taken from the internet! I really enjoyed bickering with Leo, looks like he won in the end~ ^^
> 
> Until next time! <3


	7. Looking Back...

_Raph: My ‘Depression Sensitivity’ is tingelin’. You’re very sad, aren’t ya?_

_Author: *sniffles* Yeah…_

_Mikey: Aww, c’mere. *hugs Author and taps her on the back* Everything’s gonna be alright. Doctor Feelings got you._

_Author: *chuckles and sniffles again* Thanks…_

_Leo: *rolls eyes* Great. Now I know what that means._

_Mikey: *frowns* Oh, and what does that mean, genius?_

_Leo: It **means** that this chapter is going to be long, AND, depressing as hell…_

_Raph: Yeah? How do you know?_

_Leo: *shrugs* Ain’t it obvious? Every time she’s in a bad mood, she throws some dismal wack-o chapter to express her feelings._

_Author: *stares at him* I-I don’t believe that **Leo** was the one to figure that out…_

_Leo: Aha, I just d- *pauses, then frowns* Wait a minute, **what’s that supposed to mean?**_

_Mike & Raph: *laugh*_

_Author: *chuckles*_

_Raph: I bet Leo’s stupidity is enough to make ya feel better…_

_Leo: HEY!_

_Author: Yup, *snickers* it just did…_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Looking Back…**

“Where are we supposed to leave him?”

Leo questioned as his brothers stood up. The two looked down at Donnie, then at Leo, not asking about his statement, because it sure was an important point to discuss.

“I don’t think it’s safe to just leave him here…” Raph said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I know,” Leo said, “And that’s why I’m asking…”

“What about…” Raph said slowly as he turned his attention to the youngest, “…we put him back in that cage?” He winced as he finished his sentence.

Mikey shifted his glances several times, as if calculating the options he had, then sighed, “Alright, but just because he might attack dad again. Once I’m finished with the antidote, we let him out immediately.”

“You got that!” Raph exclaimed with a wink.

Raph and Mikey raced ahead while Leo carried Donnie back in the confined place, carefully enough to not let him wake up. The blue-clad, once again, wondered how his brother was that thin. It was true that Donnie hadn’t been eating enough food lately, but the family let it slip because Donnie had once said that he eats while working at night, and even showed them the empty pizza boxes, cans of soda and sandwich wraps.

Could it be that Donnie had been lying this whole time? Could it be that he had faked this scene just for them, and never ate anything? It was nothing too far for Donnie to do. Yet again, what would he gain from that? Unless…

No! Nohohohooo. Of course Donnie wasn’t depressed, or suffering from anxiety. Just because Leo noticed the subtle weight difference doesn’t mean that Donnie’s having a problem! He was completely normal! At least, he had been acting normal those past days, hadn’t he been?

Hadn’t he?

Now that Leo thought about it, he kinda had, but not entirely. His fighting skills were as same as always and Leo never noticed any subtle change upon them, his sarcastic attitude was ordinary, and –as Mikey mentioned- he had been spending some more quality time with their baby brother, which was, yet again, nothing to be concerned about.

But, there _was_ , in fact, something that _had_ changed, and only Leo noticed it…

His behavior in front of their father.

It wasn’t like Leo was stalking his brother and was worried about him lately or anything, pshhh, no! But since the secret breakdown he had in front of his father, Leo took a closer look on how the others were doing with the whole Lou Jitsu situation. Raph had been doing fine, Mikey had already expressed his feeling out in the loud, while Donnie…

…had been sending odd looks towards their father lately.

Leo knew, Leo was sure, that nobody else caught it, because it was very brief and so quick. But Leo somehow noticed it without drawing too much attention from his older twin. Occasionally, it would be a sad gaze, a confused quick stare, or a calculating face. Leo, honestly, never thought too much about it, because that was _Donnie_ he was talking about; the nerdy maniac who kept his problems to himself, who would like to solve everything on his own, and never ask for any help. Besides, it wasn’t like Donnie never stared like that before. He would always have these faces when he tries to solve something important, or build something that fit the particular person he was staring at.

Yet, oddly enough, they were none of that. Looking back at the amount of times Donnie shot an eye to their father, Leo almost felt that these looks contained… _pity_ in them. Yes, friggin’ _pity_. It was really hard to believe, but Leo just knew it. Donnie had been drifting too much in his thoughts, that somehow a memory in his mind made him gape _pitifully_ towards their Pops.

And Leo would die to know about that memory.

Maybe… he was overthinking about this. Maybe none of this was true, and Donnie had been doing fine, or even didn’t care enough to be bothered.

But, as much as it was out of character for Leo to say that… Donnie wasn’t a rock.

He felt, just like them. He could cry, just like them. He cared, just like all of them.

He was just better at hiding his feelings.

And perhaps this was the only time those feelings were able to expose themselves.

Donnie had been attacking their father, which was a sign of frustration. He was angry at their dad, for some reason Leo may or may never know later. Or maybe he just wanted to have a snack.

As for Mikey, Donnie showed great affection. It was a sign of just how Mikey was important to Donnie, so much so that he was willing to attack Raph for making Mikey upset.

And Leo wasn’t jealous, of course.

Donnie’s feelings towards Raph… were neutral. He would be angry when Raph does something that provokes him, and would be normal when Raph doesn’t do anything. He neither hated him nor was head over heels for him. Neutral.

As for himself, Leo truly didn’t know.

He didn’t know if his older twin loved him, or hated him, or just overall wanted to get rid of him.

Even when Donatello approached him and accepted his gestures, Leo could still feel the bite Donnie left on him, and couldn’t help but think that it was intentional, despite Raph telling him otherwise.

Leo loved his brother, something that he would never admit out loud, but was this feeling one-sided? Did Donnie really hate him, or wanted him out? Anyway, even if Leo left the team, there wouldn’t be that great of a difference. Without his mystic sword, Leo was… _nothing_.

And _nothing_ was a big, strong, painful word.

But still, he wouldn’t cry, not now…

“LEO!”

“GAH! WHAT?!” Leo jumped as he was met face to face with Raph, who was kneeling over him, had one hand on Leo’s shoulder, and a worried expression on his face.

“I’ve been calling you for a while, now. Are you okay?” Raph asked in a concerned tone.

Leo landed a palm on his head and shook it slightly, sighing, “Yeah, yeah, ‘m fine. Where’s Mikey?”

Raph had his doubts about Leo being ‘fine’, but decided to drop it, “In the lower lab. He’s waiting for you.” He lowered his glance as soon as he finished.

Leo noticed the shift of tones and asked, “He’s scared, isn’t he?”

Raph nodded then sighed, “He has a strong feeling that he’s gonna forget us or somethin’, even when I told him that he’s gonna be jus’ fine.”

“I don’t blame him, though…” Leo said with a small sad smile.

“Yeah, me neither…” Raph said, “Now, c’mon! We gotta go. Mike’s already told me how to turn the thing on. We need to be there for him when it happens, you know?” He smiled slightly.

Leo took no time in nodding and standing up, heading for the big room that contained the mind turning machine, Raph beside him. As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted his baby brother sitting on a table that was beside the wall. His feet were dangling and his eyes were staring at the ground, while he bit his nails. These were the things Mikey would usually do when being anxious or nervous. No doubt he was.

Mikey regained his posture once he saw Raph and Leo enter the room. He plastered his usual bright smile, but all Leo saw was that scared baby brother, and smiled back yet less optimistically.

No word was spoken while Mikey was approaching his immediate older brother –he was limping slightly, because his ankle still hurt-. But when Mikey wrapped his arms around Leo’s neck, the blue clad couldn’t keep his voice anymore,

“Hey, hey, don’t give me those ‘saying goodbye before leaving’ vibes, because we won’t let you go anywhere…” He said as he hugged Mikey back, chuckling slightly.

Mikey laughed quietly in response, “I know…” He whispered.

Raph smiled softly and walked up to them, then wrapped his big arms around Leo and Mikey, all laughing quietly while nuzzling each other.

“Another group hug like this is required,” Leo stated while smiling, “But when we bring Donnie back.”

“Of course.” Raph chuckled, “I’m always down to get cuddly.”

Mikey beamed, feeling the tension and fear leave him as he nuzzled to Leo’s neck once more, “I love you guys…”

“We love you too, Miguel…” Leo said quietly, his usual intonation leaving him for a second.

Mikey purred just as he broke the hug, and strolled towards the door of the machine. Right before stepping in, Mikey turned his head towards the other two, giving a confident smile and a thumbs up, despite everything.

Leo and Raph nodded in assurance, and without breaking eye contact, the orange lover closed the door behind him.

Leo didn’t even get to say or do anything as Raph immediately –and almost, too quickly- pulled a huge lever down. The machine turned and buzzed to life, and the electrical purple cords screeched as the box Mikey was in was being filled with some pink gaz. The computer in front of them had a figure of Mikey, and the orange line was filling it as Donnie’s intelligent cells were making their ways inside their little brother’s brain.

Leo clung on Raph’s body as the process was going, not at all comfortable with the loud sounds this machine that held their baby brother was emitting.

“YOU THINK IT WILL WORK?” Leo shouted loudly enough for Raph to hear.

“I THINK IT _IS_ WORKING!” Raph yelled while staring at the computer.

A very strong bright light shone. Leo and Raph snapped their eyes shut and held onto each other. Soon after, smoke bombed and filled the lab, leaving the two coughing up their lungs.

Just as the blue lover opened his eyes, the door of the reprogrammulator opened with a _hisss._ The white smoke that was trapped inside flew free. One moment, Leo was observing his baby brother as he swayed out of the confined space, the other…

…Mikey was on the floor, not moving.

* * *

_Leo: Now, what the hell was **that**?_

_Author: Don’t ask me, I have no idea…_

_Raph: IS MIKEY GOING TO BE OKAY?!_

_Leo: Relaaax, bud. I’m sure she won’t let anything happen to him._

_Author: I can’t say that for sure… *laughs evilly*_

_Leo: Oh, c’mon!_

_Narrator: Next chapter, we’ll see what happened to Mikey. Every feedback would be great! <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter was literal trash, and especially at the end; I’m sorry. I haven’t been feeling so great lately. Gonna try and make the next chapter promising, though!


	8. Another Donnie?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry for the late update! I’ve been too busy with other fics, so I’m so sorry! ^^’ Just know that my schedule is messy and I have no specific publication date for the next chap!

_Author: 3 DAYS LEEEEFT!_

_*Raph & Leo look at each other confusingly*_

_Leo: Uhhmm? Care to say for what?_

_Author: Are you kidding? NEW EPISODES ARE COMING AND I CAN’T FRICKIN’ WAIT! AAAAAAAAAA! *runs in circles*_

_Raph: Oh my God, SHE’S TURNING INTO A MONSTER!_

_Leo: As if we haven’t had enough of ‘savage Donnie’ lately!_

_*Author still screaming and is heading for Leo*_

_Leo: *decides to run* GAAAH!_

_Raph: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, LEO!_

_Author: *running after Leo* AAAAAAAH!_

_Leo: WHY DID I EVER DECIDE TO MEET YOOOUU???!_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Another Donnie?**

“MIKEY!” Leo took no time to bolt up and run for his fallen brother, panicking as he landed beside him. Mikey had pink electric sparks coming from him, and had dropped face-first on the floor. Leo rapidly rolled him around, feeling heat rising from the orange-clad as he touched him. But what really caught his attention was that Mikey’s eyes were slightly open, yet dull and blank, focusing on nothing in particular. His breathing wasn’t even and the scene made Leo well with fear. Was this a bad idea?! Did he make a mistake by agreeing on this? Donnie’s situation was bad enough; they wouldn’t be able to handle two losses in one day!

“Mikey? Mikey! MIKEY!” Leo shook his brother’s shoulders in a frantic manner, for Mikey’s body to simply refuse responding, and go along with being shaken like a rag doll. At that point, Leo knew that Raph was there beside him, watching the scenery in silence; and Leonardo didn’t care for _a bit_. All he did was continue to rock his baby brother while mouthing his name in concern, until Michelangelo finally made a reaction…

“Mmmm…” He moaned, his eyes clasping shut as he grimaced, putting a hand on his head in obvious discomfort. Leo gasped in shock and content,

“Mikey?” He whispered, stopping the motion of his hands, wanting to make sure that his baby brother was reactive.

“This hurt more than I had originally calculated…” The said youngster mumbled, still with a pained face between Leo’s arms.

“MIKEY!” Leo and Raph called happily, and the slider finally let Mikey go as he got up and sat on his own. The orange-clad was still grimacing and seemed to have not really heard any of what was said earlier, but finally opened his eyes and faced his brother in slight confusion. He didn’t get the chance to speak as Raph questioned,

“Did it work? How do you feel?”

Mikey paused for a second, before smirking, “As intelligent as a purple-loving brother!”

Leo and Raph grinned in unison before Mikey exclaimed enthusiastically while standing up, “Welp, time to get working!”

“LET’S GO!” Leo yelled as excitingly, getting up as well.

The three headed outside and straight to the wrecked upper lab where most of the equipment were, but before taking the stairs, Leo and Mikey turned to Raph as he stopped.

“I think yo’ both will manage from here…” The oldest said with a smile, twisting his body halfway, “I’ll be right beside Don in case somethin’ happened.” He pulled a thumbs up.

“No problem, bro!” Leo said right before he and Mikey sprinted to their intended location.

The youngest duo entered the laboratory, and Leo halted when Mikey looked around the lab as if seeing its condition for the first time. It was true, yes, that Mikey’s still Mikey, but based on personal experience, Leo knew that the orange-clad’s mind is functioning as a Donnie right now. The way he would talk, the way he would act, even his behavior would be slightly different. Heck, a lot different. Passion for science was a difference in itself, and Leo was positive that Mikey would be a bit colder, smug and non-caring like their –currently- wild brother. Which rose a question…

How does Mikey feel about Leo right now?

Yeah, it was a stupid question, but if he couldn’t get the answer from Donnie himself, he could get it from a replica of Donnie. See his point of view about him. Know his true thoughts. Did he think he was important? Or did he believe that he was a burden, just like Leo saw himself? Approaching that matter would be awkward and out of place, not to mention that he would be talking to a Donnie with the shape of his baby brother about it…

His train of thoughts stopped once he saw Mikey approach him after a glance at the lab,

“Mind giving me that paper?” He asked with an open hand, his note slightly sterner than Michelangelo’s usual happy tone.

“Oh, right…” Leo only muttered before handing the piece of blue paper which held the formula to the youngest.

Mikey took it and headed for a half-exploded desk and sat on a chair behind it. Leo followed him as he watched Mikey, who was carefully observing the paper and reading over it, until a satisfied smile crossed his face.

“What?” Leo asked in confusion.

“The cure isn’t far from our reach…” Mikey said, looking up at Leo, who also smiled, “I only need the proper equipment, and the convenient chemicals…” After explaining, he stood up.

“I think that was all destroyed, bro…” Leo said in slight guilt, his sight following his brother as he strolled around, looking for something.

“Donnie has more than one of the belongings I need…” Mikey said, still searching for something, “And he does not get all of his tools out at once. I’m certain that he has a drawer or something that contains them. A secret hideout that is out of reach in case any of us decided to mess around here…”

“Oh…” Leo was still for a moment before he too started searching for a button or a container that wasn’t wrecked. It took a little time until he stopped when Mikey called out for him,

“Hey, Leo! I found it!”

Leonardo reached for where Mikey was standing, to find a huge, glowing-from-the-inside drawer that was letting out light smoke as if being opened for the first time. The test-tubes, beakers, colorful chemicals and other equipment and formulas were neatly arranged inside. Each one had a holder to be put in.

Leo crossed his arms, “Good job!” He stated smugly, giving Mikey praise like he usually does.

And usually, Michelangelo would blush faintly, giggle sheepishly or even turn to him with a proud smile.

But Mikey didn’t react or respond, and instead took out what he needed, silently headed for the desk, sat down, and began placing the tools in order to work.

 _Right…_ Leo thought as his face fell, feeling as though he shouldn’t have spoken at all. Dragging an empty chair behind him, Leo sat on it in the opposite way, for his arms to rest on the chair’s back and to plant his chin on both of them. Being across from his baby brother, Leo couldn’t really see Mikey from the glass tools that were between them on the desk. The image of Mikey was a bit wobbly and curvy, and Leo knew that regular Mikey would have laughed at this.

He sighed slightly while hearing the clanking of glass and the splashes of liquid. Feeling the need to open a conversation,

“You need anything…?” He asked, not really seeing Mikey’s expression.

“No, I’m good…” Was all the other turtle replied with.

Leo’s eyes casted to the floor, his fists balling slightly beneath him from nervousness. He needed to talk about what he wanted to talk about now, or else he’d miss the chance…

“Mike… now that you’re busy doing something and… you know? Turned like Donnie and all that… Can I… ask you a question…?” He paused, waiting for an answer from the deformed image before him.

“Sure…” Mikey said, not stopping what he was doing.

Leo was really hesitant, and for a moment was about to say ‘never mind’, before his mouth muttered before he really thought about it,

“Am I a burden…?” His voice was low, too low, and he instantly hoped that Mikey hadn’t heard. Unfortunately for him, his hopes were down once he saw the figure/Mikey stop moving, and Leo lifted his head to be able to see his baby brother. Mikey looked back at him with an eyebrow raised,

“Excuse me?”

Leo averted his eyes. He hated this. He really did. But he needed this as well. And so, he answered,

“Every time you look at me, what do you see? How do you feel? Do you just… let’s say… feel disgusted? Or angry…?” He timidly looked up the moment he finished, to find Mikey wearing a more confused face. Leo cringed inwardly and averted his eyes again. What was he doing? Why was he so scared? Why was his heart pumping crazily?

Leo paused questioning when Mikey sighed, and looked up to eye him.

“I’m looking at you right now, Leo.” Mikey began with an unreadable expression, “And I don’t feel ‘immediate anger’ or ‘uncalled hatred’ like you say. All I’m feeling is… an urge to taunt you… that’s all…” He cracked a smile, saying the last statement slowly.

Leo stared at his baby brother, even when he returned back to making the cure. Before having a chance to say anything, Mikey talked once again,

“I see where these thought are coming from, Leo… But you should not take my answers for granted. If anything, I’m still Mikey…”

Leo was solid for a while, before resting his chin again on his arms, thinking this through.

“If you truly want to feel restful, and find answers for your questions, I suggest talking to Donnie himself about it. I understand why you’re not comfortable about confronting him, but that is the right thing to do…” Mikey said flatly, almost sounding like Leo’s twin.

The slider kept silent, knowing that Mikey was right. He wouldn’t feel satisfied with an answer unless he got it from the one he was intending to ask. Problem was, Leo had a feeling deep down that Donnie wouldn’t pay much attention to him; or give him a reply Leo didn’t want to hear.

“Donnie will not be harsh… Don’t worry…” Mikey was the one to say, taking Leo by surprise as though it seemed that Mikey had somehow read his thoughts. He sighed and averted his eyes again, his chin bending from the pressure he was putting on it, and finally talked,

“Thanks, Mike…” He said with a hint of sadness, as well as understanding.

“Anytime…” Mikey said simply.

Leo let his mind drift again. He wasn’t sure if he was feeling better at the moment, but at least he was feeling a bit more confident about talking to his twin. And, not only to his twin, but also to the rest of his siblings, as well. Leo knew he was having a hard time finding who he was. What his purpose was. And needed his brothers to fill that out for him. Especially his older brothers.

But, did he really need that? Some say it’s better to take your own path while dealing with your problems, to work to achieve an identity and a place in the world on your own. Leo was already bad enough at expressing his feelings. Heck, Donnie can be the passionless emo in the team, but Leo surpasses him with the ability of hiding and regulating his emotions, so much so that Leo wasn’t sure when the last time he snapped, cried or even laughed from the bottom of his heart.

So, that brought the old question. Should he ask for help, or just sit on the bench, refusing it like a stubborn kid?

Only time can tell. Right now, he had a Donnie that didn’t recognise them and a too-smart-for-his-own-good Mikey. After these two get back to their old forms, maybe Leo can have a mental argument about that.

As a matter of fact, though, crying _was_ an option right now...

Yet he fought against the idea. Not here. Not when there are more important things to focus on...

The slider didn’t know how much time had passed, and figured that it was a while, since Mikey had suddenly told him that he had finished with the antidote…

* * *

_Leo: …_

_Author: Yeah, teen days are hard, Leon._

_Leo: *covers his eyes* What did I ever do to deserve this?_

_Author: *shrugs* You’re fourteen. Depression is common._

_Leo: I never said I was!_

_Author: Never said you weren’t…_

_Leo: *sighs in annoyance* I’m getting tired of this… Any idea when this is gonna end?_

_Author: 3 chaps? Maybe 4? I’m bad at math, so I have no idea… *shrugs with a smile*_

_Leo: You’re gonna get me killed by the end of this, aren’t you…?_

_Author: Who knows? *smile widens*_

_Leo: AUUUGGHHH…_

_Narrator: Next chapter; more secrets are revealed! Feedbacks are welcome! <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not killing anyone guys! Just a joke! XD


	9. Discussions & Passions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so, SO sorry for the insanely long wait!! Things have been rough, but I'm back! Sort of... No idea when the next chapter's gonna be out, though... *cray T_T*
> 
> This Chapter's dedicated to CuriousTalkative! <3

_Author: Be Grateful, Leo._

_Leo: *slowly* Whyyyyyy?_

_Author: Because I finally have time for this fic! Nothing. On me. Except. THIS!_

_Leo: Oh God, why?!_

_Author: Do you also know what that means?_

_Leo: Please don’t tell me-_

_Author: I’M PUTTING MORE DRAMATIC STUFF ON YOU!! YAAAAAAAS!_

_Leo: Alright- I’m outa here…_

_Narrator: Someone’s cranky today… *shrugs* A-Ahem…_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Discussions & Passions**

“You’re done? Like… _done_ done??” Leo quizzically asked, propping himself to stand up oppositely of his brother.

Mikey gave him an odd look before saying, “Well, affirmative…”

Leo’s face lit, a smile plastered on it, “Woah, that was _fast_ … What are we waiting for? LET’S GO TO DEE-”

Leo stopped when a hand grabbed his arm, causing him to turn to Mikey, “Leo…” Mike said, a worried expression on his face, “…it’s been 50 minutes.”

Leo’s eyes widened slightly, his head whipping to one of the clocks that wasn’t destroyed, to be confirmed. Wow, he’d been sitting still for almost an hour? Doing nothing but thinking? That was… definitely unusual, so of course Mikey would ask him about it, since it was kind of concerning. Yet Leo decided to act as if it was nothing, and kept on his usual face,

“So? Lost track of time. What’s the big deal?” He quirked an invisible eyebrow.

Mikey kept hold of him, as if wanting to say more, but shook his head in the last second, “N-Never mind.” He released him, “Let’s just get this done…” Walking past Leo towards the entrance, he murmured while holding a paper in hand.

Leo was solid for a while, before following the youngest, with remarkably cautious steps. Getting caught for an uncharacteristic action by a DonnieMike is definitely new, and a tad bit weird. And while it _was_ no big deal, just like his saying, Leo had the everlasting feeling of guilt that had been chasing him all night. Maybe guilt because he felt that he was holding everyone back on focusing on much more important stuff? Or maybe it was the guilt of ‘I should have done better’? Leo wasn’t sure. And honestly, he could’ve cared less at the moment. There were priorities to be over with first.

Taking down the stairs with his baby brother, Leo glanced at the living room, expecting Raph on watch with a sleeping Donnie in his cage. But what he saw had him hold back the urge to chuckle. Raph was on watch and all, sitting down on the floor with crossed arms and legs, a glare on his face. He was a good few meters away from the cage, his narrowed eyes boring into the turtle in it. The turtle in question was upright, sitting like a cat with his knees bent and his palms on the ground, glaring at Raphael in a similar manner. It looked like a contest somehow. A staring contest, if Leo could judge. And both of them stared at each other in such typical stubbornness that Leo wondered if Donnie had come back already.

Approaching the two, Raph finally broke whatever game they were playing and turned to them.

“He’s been staring at me like that since he woke up.” Raph explained before receiving a question.

“Dude, did you make him angry or something?” Asked Leo, now fully taking a look at his twin’s face. Which held a not-so-playful-expression.

“No! I was just sittin’ beside the cage, when all of a sudden he kept growling at me.” Raph expressed in annoyance, “It took me a while to figure out what he wanted, and I only did when he calmed down after I furthered away.”

Mikey put a hand on his chin, “It seems that he still sees you as a threat after what you did to me earlier.”

Leo looked at his baby brother, “You sound kinda proud of that…” He teased.

“I’m not…” Mikey said simply, yet Leo knew better.

“Mikey, you should do somethin’ about this!” Raph wailed, almost desperately, “I’m tired of the way he looks at me!”

“C’mon, bro, it’s no big deal!” Leo stated smoothly, shouldering his big brother, “It’s not like it’s the first time you and Donnie have a staring- *ahem*- a _glaring_ contest of that sort.”

“Heck yeah, it is, Leo!” Raph stood up, then paused, “And… We don’t really fight that often… do we?”

“Just this morning you had your thirtieth fight of the week…” Mikey crossed his shoulder, nodding his hanged head while closing his eyes.

“And the week’s still not over,” Leo stood beside his baby brother in an identical stance, “I’d call that a record, if you ask me.”

And it was no lie. Raph and Donnie had been on each other’s throats lately, simply because Raph had been concerned about the genius' wellbeing. Raph would tell him to eat properly, which Donnie inquires with the typical ‘I’m fine’, and Raph accusing him of lying. It had been like that for almost two weeks, now, and Leo and Mikey had been avoiding barging into any of these arguments as they’ve been yelled enough for it already.

But Leo was amazed by how Raph could tell that there was something off by simply _looking_ at Donnie. Leo himself hadn’t realized how much his brother was lying to them before tonight; and even thought that the oldest was just ‘getting worried for nothing’. It was like… Raph had some big-bro-superpower or something.

Raphael groaned, deciding to avoid the subject, “Whatever. Did you two figure out what we should do?”

Mikey smiled smugly, presenting a test tube and an empty syringe, “The solution’s right here, baby!”

“Alright!” Raph’s face lit up, forgetting all the exasperation from just a second ago, “Good Job, Mikey!”

“Nothing Magic Mike can’t pull off!” Leo nudged his –slightly annoyed- brother in a compliment like he would usually do.

Mikey escaped Leo’s touches, then cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the two. He sent looks at them both, suddenly turning very serious, “We need to discuss something quite important.”

Leo and Raph exchanged glances. “Sure, what is it?” Raph questioned in a hint of concern.

Mikey lowered to the ground, unrolling the blue sheet of paper before him, causing both Leo and Raph to drop down in a circle around the paper curiously.

“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully,” Mikey ordered in a Donnie tone, pointing at the paper, “The antidote I’ve made is only a small portion compared to the amount that Donnie has been hit with. I know that the amount I’m holding right now is enough, but we can’t be too sure. So, in case anything happens, I’m letting you know that all you gotta do is run to the lab, find the beaker with blue liquid that I’ve placed on the table, suck a good amount of it in the syringe, and come back.”

Leo and Raph stared at the terrapin in slight bewilderment, before Leo asked carefully,

“What do you mean ‘in case something happens’?” He pulled off quotation marks.

“Oh, right.” Mikey sat back, his eyes boring into them both, “There are side effects to that antidote. I haven’t had the time to figure them out particularly; but I made something in case the situation gets out of hand.” He said, handing each one of them a syringe with some yellow-ish liquid in it.

“Wait… You mean that Donnie can actually hurt us without thinking about it?” Raph said, realizing that the strange liquid was, in fact, a sedative, “Then why don’t we just tie ‘em up and give ‘em the antidote?”

“I guess that would be a bad idea.” Leo informed, “We _really_ don’t wanna get on his bad side…”

“True. Plus, Donnie could easily cut whatever’s binding him with his teeth.” Mikey pointed out, “His jaw’s really strong. And before you ask, Raph, no, we can’t drug him and then give him the antidote. It would be highly risky to give it to him while he’s asleep.” Mikey told a Raph who was about to raise a finger in question, “The antidote shouldn’t meet with the sedative for at least five minutes. Otherwise, it would be impossible to change him back ever again.”

Leo and Raph gulped simultaneously, coming to the conclusion, “Sooo, what I got from you basically is: Try to survive a crazy dehydrated turtle that may-or-may-not try to kill us until we put him down to sleep?” Leo asked.

“Precisely.” The box turtle nodded.

“But… Isn’t there a better way? Without anyone getting hurt?” Raph said hurriedly, Leo noticed, as he held the blue paper and started inspecting it, “Doesn’t this chart say anything of that sort?!” He flipped it upside-down.

“I’m afraid not- Huh?”

Leo turned from the paper to Mikey, who had a lost look on his face. Leo leaned forward to figure out what his brother was seeing, and his eyes widened slightly.

 _The weird drawings…_ He thought in alert, having totally forgotten about them.

Without permission, Mikey snatched the paper from the oldest, who yelled a quick ‘Hey!’, flipping it over to fully examine it. His expression turned from calculative to outright gapingly, seeming to have numbed for a second, which worried the elders to no extent.

“Mikey, are you okay?!” Raph called, dragging himself to put a hand on his shoulder.

“How haven’t I noticed this up till now?” Mikey murmured, much to himself, as his eyes travelled across the paper rapidly.

“W-What are you talking about? Do you know what this is?” Leo asked.

Mikey didn’t answer for a second, until he slowly looked up at them both, “We’re having a long talk with Pops after we’re done…”

Leo couldn’t see Raph’s expression, as he gawked slightly. So, there _was_ something going on between Donnie and their father…

“B-But right now, we should be focusing on something else.” Mikey sighed to himself, as a form of easing tension, while rising up.

The rest of them stood up too, feeling their determination coming back.

“Time to get Donnie back!” Raph smirked, cracking his knuckles.

“Remember! We’re not hurting him, so use your weapons when it’s only necessary.” Mikey reminded, “And Raph, he may target you, since you’re the only one who hasn’t befriended him. So stay out of the way as soon as I inject him with the antidote, got it?”

Raph was taken aback, “Wah- No way- I’m not leaving you-!”

“ _Got it_?!” Mikey ordered sincerely.

Raph deflated slightly, “…Got it.”

“Finally,” Leo sighed contently to himself, cracking his neck with his fingers in front of him, “Everything’s going back to nooooaaaaaa~ why’s he looking at you like that?”

“Huh?” Mikey turned to the cage, and Leo could see the confusion that had planted on his face. Donnie was lowly growling at the youngest from behind the bars, as if he was some form of enemy.

“I… This is strange. We haven’t even injected him yet…” Mikey said, sounding more hurt than deadpan as he approached the cage slowly.

“Uhh… Mikey…” Leo reached a hand, but the words died in his throat.

Donnie hissed ferociously, shaking the cage with him. And Mikey backed off at the attempted attack, pain now evident on his face.

“Wh-What’s going on?”

Leo stared at the scene carefully, too out of it to realize how Mikey was too close to the cage.

The clank of metal caught him of guard, and he returned back, to see Raph yelling at their baby brother something along the lines of,

“IT’S TOO DANGEROUS!”

The cage was shaking as the turtle inside seemed genuinely pissed at the box turtle who was _unlocking the cage_ -

Shoot.

“Mikey, wait!” Damn it, it was too late. Mikey had opened the door, for the raging turtle to carefully take small steps, heading outside, his eyes never leaving the orange lover beside him. Mikey was careful, yes, but passion was overwhelming him; as he extended an arm to pat his head-

In a swift motion, and in a breathless attack, Mikey screamed wildly, his left arm coated in red. Leo stared in horror as his baby brother was thumped to the ground by the softshell, the red now pooling on the floor.

_Seems like I’m not the only one who dislikes my own self…_

And they all shrieked,

“ **MIKEY**!”

* * *

_Raph: I-… I’ve got nothing to say…_

_Leo: *shaking Author by the collar* ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?! AFTER ALMOST 2 DECADES OF NO UPDATES, YOU COME UP WITH **THIS**?!_

_Author: I’m sowwwyyyyyy-_

_Leo: DAMN RIGHT, YOU SHOULD BE! YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!_

_Raph: Woah, woah! Slow down, Leo! I’m sure nothing bad’s gonna happen to Mikey again, *yelling at Author* right?_

_Author: Uhhhhhh…_

_Raph: *now holding Author by the collar, turning into a demon and preparing to punch* **RIGHT**?!_

_Narrator: Next Chapter; A big battle. Reviews are welcome! <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'm gonna stop hurting my baby boy Mikey...! Someday! MWHAHAHAHAAH!

**Author's Note:**

> Contact me on Twitter! You can find me [@UniPopcorn1414](https://twitter.com/UniPopcorn1414)! <3


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